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Accounting Full Setup Guide – Account, Debit Credit, Journal, Ledger, Trial Balance, P&L, Cash Flow & Financial Statements

September 30, 2026 · Accounting and Finance


Accounting Full Setup Guide – Complete Beginner to Intermediate

English + Chinese | Account Definition • Debit & Credit • Journal • Ledger • Trial Balance • Profit & Loss • Cash Flow • Financial Statements


1. What is an Account? Definition & Types

SEO Meta Title: What is an Account in Accounting? Definition, Types & Examples
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English

An account is a record that tracks increases and decreases in a specific item (cash, sales, rent, etc.).

Main types:

  • Assets – Resources owned (Cash, Inventory, Equipment)
  • Liabilities – Amounts owed (Accounts Payable, Loans)
  • Equity – Owner’s claim (Capital, Retained Earnings)
  • Revenue – Income earned (Sales, Service Revenue)
  • Expenses – Costs incurred (Rent, Salaries, Utilities)

Chinese (中文)

账户是记录某一特定项目(现金、销售收入、租金等)增减变动的会计记录。

主要类型:

  • 资产 – 企业拥有的资源(现金、存货、设备)
  • 负债 – 企业欠他人的款项(应付账款、贷款)
  • 所有者权益 – 所有者对企业的要求权(资本、留存收益)
  • 收入 – 企业赚取的收益(销售收入、服务收入)
  • 费用 – 企业发生的成本(租金、工资、水电费)

2. Debit (Dr) and Credit (Cr) – Complete Rules

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English – Golden Rules

  1. Personal Account: Debit the receiver, Credit the giver
  2. Real Account: Debit what comes in, Credit what goes out
  3. Nominal Account: Debit all expenses & losses, Credit all incomes & gains

Modern Asset-Liability-Equity approach:

  • Assets & Expenses → Increase = Debit | Decrease = Credit
  • Liabilities, Equity & Revenue → Increase = Credit | Decrease = Debit

Chinese (中文)

借贷记账法黄金法则:

  1. 个人账户:借方记接收方,贷方记给予方
  2. 实账户:借方记增加(流入),贷方记减少(流出)
  3. 名账户:借方记所有费用和损失,贷方记所有收入和收益

现代方法:

  • 资产和费用:增加记借方,减少记贷方
  • 负债、权益和收入:增加记贷方,减少记借方

3. Journal Entries – How to Record Transactions

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English Format

Date | Particulars          | L.F. | Debit (Dr) | Credit (Cr)
-----|----------------------|------|------------|------------
     | Account Name (Dr)    
     |    To Account Name (Cr)
     |    (Narration)

Example: Bought goods for cash $5,000

Purchases A/c ………… Dr 5,000
    To Cash A/c ………………… 5,000
(Being goods purchased for cash)

Chinese (中文)

日记账格式:日期 | 摘要 | 页次 | 借方 | 贷方

示例:用现金购买商品 5,000 元

借:库存商品 5,000
    贷:库存现金 5,000
(用现金购买商品)

4. Ledger – Posting from Journal

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English

A Ledger is the book of final entry where all transactions of one account are collected.

Each account has a T-shape: Debit (left) | Credit (right).

After posting, we calculate the balance (Debit balance or Credit balance).

Chinese (中文)

分类账是最终记账的账簿,把同一账户的所有交易集中记录。

每个账户呈 T 形:借方(左)| 贷方(右)。

过账后计算余额(借方余额或贷方余额)。


5. Trial Balance (TB)

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English

A Trial Balance is a list of all ledger balances on a particular date.

Purpose: To check arithmetic accuracy of books (Debit total = Credit total).

If totals match → books are arithmetically correct.

Chinese (中文)

试算平衡表是某一日期所有分类账余额的列表。

目的:检查账簿的算术准确性(借方合计 = 贷方合计)。

如果两边相等,说明账簿在算术上是正确的。


6. Profit & Loss Account / Income Statement

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English

Profit & Loss Account (or Income Statement) shows the financial performance for a period.

Formula: Revenue – Expenses = Net Profit / Net Loss

Main sections:

  • Revenue (Sales, Other Income)
  • Cost of Goods Sold
  • Gross Profit
  • Operating Expenses
  • Net Profit / Loss

Chinese (中文)

损益表(利润表)显示企业在一定期间的财务业绩。

公式:收入 – 费用 = 净利润 / 净亏损

主要部分:

  • 收入(销售收入、其他收入)
  • 销售成本
  • 毛利
  • 营业费用
  • 净利润 / 净亏损

7. Cash Flow Statement

SEO Meta Title: Cash Flow Statement – Format, Types & How to Prepare
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English

The Cash Flow Statement shows the movement of cash during a period.

Three activities:

  1. Operating – Day-to-day business (Net Profit adjusted)
  2. Investing – Purchase/sale of fixed assets, investments
  3. Financing – Loans, capital introduced, dividends paid

Chinese (中文)

现金流量表显示一定期间现金的流入和流出。

三大活动:

  1. 经营活动 – 日常业务(以净利润为基础调整)
  2. 投资活动 – 购买/出售固定资产、投资
  3. 筹资活动 – 借款、投入资本、支付股利

8. Complete Financial Statements Overview

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English

The complete set of financial statements includes:

  1. Income Statement (Profit & Loss) – Performance
  2. Balance Sheet (Statement of Financial Position) – Assets = Liabilities + Equity
  3. Cash Flow Statement – Cash movements
  4. Statement of Changes in Equity (optional in many countries)

These statements together give a full picture of the business’s financial health.

Chinese (中文)

完整的财务报表包括:

  1. 利润表 – 经营业绩
  2. 资产负债表 – 资产 = 负债 + 所有者权益
  3. 现金流量表 – 现金变动
  4. 所有者权益变动表(许多国家可选)

这些报表共同全面反映企业的财务状况。


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